Channel Development Manager Jobs in Minneapolis, MN

SICK is one of the world’s leading solutions providers for sensor-based applications in the industrial sector. Founded in 1946 by Dr.-Ing. e. h. Erwin Sick and headquartered in Waldkirch im Breisgau near Freiburg, the company is a technology and market leader with 63 subsidiaries and affiliates as well as numerous agencies around the globe. SICK has more than 10,000employees worldwide and generated a group revenue of EUR 1.8billion in the 2025 fiscal year.

Job Description Channel Manager - Industrial Automation

***This is a remote, field based position. The ideal candidate will work out of their home office and conduct regular business travel as needed, covering a territory.

This position has primary responsibility for managing, supporting, and growing SICK sales through authorized SICK distributors within their defined region. This includes serving as the primary field liaison with distributors and their customers to increase sales and market share for SICK.

• Develop and manage distribution business plans for the assigned region. Serve as primary liaison between SICK distributors and their customers to increase sales and market share.
• Provide leadership and coaching to execution of the growth strategy and mid-term plan. Ensuring and fostering collaboration between Account Managers, Account Executives, and Industry Teams with distributors for coordination of sales efforts.
• Provide leadership to distributors for adoption of new SICK products, solutions, systems, and services. Agree and execute aggressive growth goals for new product introductions.
• Track and manage distributor performance against business plans, ensure goals are met, training offered and conducted, and marketing funds are being allocated towards SICK growth. Provide coaching and feedback about both positive and negative performance to SICK and distribution management and determine next steps for continuing relationships and growth strategies.
• Implement and provide leadership and coaching to colleagues and business partners to implement SICK standardized sales processes for territory, account, opportunity, and call management to support planning to optimize sales performance.
• Champion the utilization of CRM for all aspects of business.
• Manage leads and ensure timely follow-up.
• Develop customer relationships using deep understanding of customer’s business needs, production applications and technical language utilized in their industry. Provide consultative sales techniques, based on SICK’s Sales & Service Power (SSP) to uncover customer needs and solve difficult applications. Providing solutions that are differentiated to improve customer production quality control and production efficiency.
• Provide amazing customer service by managing customer communications and SICK customer relationship with named accounts. Ensure velocity and accuracy to all customer communications.
• Identify and properly qualify business and customer opportunities and/or threats; understand the account potential, competitors and position in the market and requirements for doing business.
• Perform market analysis for prospecting new distributor relationships; review contracts and ensure smooth transition between both parties.
• Pursue Sales Excellence, developing skills, knowledge, and competencies to continuously improve performance. Complete annual performance objectives and performance reviews with manager. Capitalize on development and training opportunities to position yourself for highest levels of performance recognition and continued career development.
• Provide accurate and timely sales reports; track and measure sales results.
• Keep abreast of market and competitive activity; recommend actions in areas where competitor activities are having a negative impact on sales goals.
• Perform sales support functions such as overseeing trial, sample, and pricing requests with the ability to challenge programs as necessary.
• Coordinate regional SICK trainings, corporate meetings with distributors, regional meetings, trade shows etc. to include all logistics planning (ie hotel, meeting rooms, etc).
• Participate in trade shoes, prepare and give marketing/sales presentations to technical societies, etc.
• Carry out other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned or required.

Education and Experience

• Four year degree in a technical field with either an academic or experiential orientation toward technical sales.
• Prior sales experience involving sales of high technology industrial control products as a direct salesperson (at a distributor or manufacturer) and via distribution is required.

Other Qualifications

• Ability to travel 50% of the month.
• Must be able to provide objective input regarding assignments of SICK distributor accounts and of customers who purchase through alternate channels.
• Requires a high degree of direct sales management skills and the implementation of account sales plans through a network of direct and indirect sales channels.
• Must have the ability to manage consistently to a common plan, providing sales leadership in the implementation of Corporate sales strategies.
• Requires fundamental leadership in sales management, opportunity assessment, and excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability and willingness to work after traditional working hours as needed.
• Legally permitted to work in the United States. (*This position is not eligible for sponsorship now or in the future.)
• Ability to work in a general office environment.

The base salary is one part of our Total Rewards package and is determined within a range. The starting base salary range for this position is listed below; the actual starting salary will be based on a variety of factors including experience, skill set, education, performance, licenses/certifications, business needs and other job-related factors, as permitted by law.

• Starting Base Annual Salary Range: $90,910 - $137,500
• Bonus Eligibility: This role is eligible for variable sales commissions based on a combination of company and individual performance.

Posting Job Location: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus (Ohio), Detroit, Field Employees USA, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis

SICK is an equal opportunity employer that considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.